
Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, detailed play-by-play and spirited discussion as the UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare card takes off from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Veteran submissionist Demian Maia meets the undefeated Ryan LaFlare in the headliner while Josh Koscheck draws Erick Silva in the co-main event; both matches take place in the welterweight division. Also on the card: lightweights Tony Martin vs. Leonardo Santos, Amanda Nunes vs. Shayna Baszler in a women’s bantamweight scrap and featherweights Godofredo Pepey vs. Andre Fili.
Live results and play by play will commence with the Fight Pass prelims at 7 p.m. ET. The full lineup and schedule follows. Feel free to peruse this week’s MMA Vivisection for detailed predictions, analysis and betting odds for each match up.
Main Card (Fox Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET)
Ryan LaFlare vs. Demian Maia
R1: LaFlare catches Maia clean with an early jab. LaFlare grazes with a one-two and his length is causing problems for Maia. Maia ducks under for a single leg and completes it. Maia passes to half guard and looks to mount with an outside cradle but LaFlare scrambles back into half guard. Maia readjusts and does pass to full mount, perhaps looking for an arm triangle. Maia bails on the isolated arm and postures up to strike, and LaFlare impressively regains half guard.
Maia looks for another pass but LaFlare regains a full, open guard. Maia back into half guard, and he stifles LaFlare with top control until the horn sounds. 10-9 Maia.
R2: LaFlare lands an outside low kick with the toes, then looks to clinch after a left hand. Maia shoves him away but gets stuffed on his reactive takedown attempt. Left hand glances for Maia. LaFlare lands an inside low kick. Maia times a double-leg takedown perfectly and nails it as we approach the halfway mark. Maia in half guard and looking to attack the far-side arm, then he bails on it to focus on passing. And he does, into full mount with just over a minute left, again working toward an arm triangle. This one is closer but LaFlare is able to slip out. Maia ends the round posturing up with punches. 10-9 Maia.
R3: LaFlare loosens a few punches but he’s hesitant to commit. Outside low kick lands for LaFlare, and then another that’s set up nicely with his hands. Maia shoots but can’t get it and LaFlare lands another low kick after defending the takedown. This time Maia shoots and pulls guard after LaFlare stops the takedown. Maia overhooks LaFlare’s arms and then bursts into a leg lock, then uses it to sweep when LaFlare defends.
Maia’s right back into full mount shortly after reversing position. Now Maia holds a strong base and throws a few punches, but he pauses to maintain control as LaFlare tries to cage walk. LaFlare bucks him off but Maia surfs on LaFlare’s legs to stay on top. 10-9 Maia.
R4: LaFlare is again understandably nervous about committing on his strikes. Maia shoots a double 90 seconds in and switches angles twice to secure it. LaFlare pursues a kimura and Maia calmly breaks the hold, then passes to full mount just past the round’s median. It’s a carbon copy of the first three rounds as Maia smothers LaFlare in full mount. He bases down and LaFlare again gives up arm triangle position, but this one is much tighter. LaFlare tries to “answer the phone” to defend and he succeeds in creating enough space to survive. 10-9 Maia.
R5: LaFlare pressures with a combo and goes downstairs, causing Maia to jog out of striking range. Maia looks to get buzzed from the next LaFlare combination and his takedown attempt is somewhat sluggish. Maia tries to pull guard and looks too tired to get back up when LaFlare backs off. Now Maia is pulling guard out of desperation and referee John McCarthy has to bark at Maia to “get up, now!” after he’s painfully slow to stand back up again.
The cycle repeats and McCarthy warns Maia that he’ll take a point if he doesn’t get up. On the restart, Maia telegraphs a takedown and LaFlare catches him with a knee, but Maia endures it to finish the takedown. LaFlare escapes and Maia takes his time standing up again, then flops on his back as the ten-second clapper sounds. McCarthy waves him back up and takes a point, likely for timidity. 10-8 LaFlare with the point deduction. I have it 48-46 Maia.
- Demian Maia defeats Ryan LaFlare by unanimous decision (48-46 x 3)
Josh Koscheck vs. Erick Silva
R1: Koscheck marches out of his corner and wings an overhand right. Silva counters with a low kick and then shoots on the decorated wrestler, but gets stuffed and eats a horizontal elbow. Koscheck circles Silva onto the fence and works for a trip from the over-under clinch. He can’t complete it and the crowd voices their displeasure, leading to a separation by referee Mario Yamasaki. Koscheck uncorks another home-run right hand that Silva ducks. Koscheck gets lazy with his hand position and Silva, from southpaw, drops him with a stiff left.
Silva pounces and lands in Koscheck’s closed guard, throwing short elbows to the face and body. Koscheck boots him off and creates enough space to scramble free. Silva whiffs on a spinning kick but surprises Koscheck with another rugged left hand. Now it’s a front kick to the body for Silva. Koscheck slips the next left but can’t find his right-hand counter. Koscheck slips while pressuring with punches and Silva dabs him up with a clubbing right hook. Koscheck stumbles and clinches out of desperation, allowing Silva to capitalize on his poor head position by falling back for an arm-in guillotine. The tap comes quickly after.
- Erick Silva defeats Josh Koscheck by submission (guillotine choke) R1 4:21
Tony Martin vs. Leonardo Santos
R1: Santos starts with a front kick to the body, then an inside low kick. And another. Make it three in a row. They both connect on right crosses and Martin checks the next Santos low kick. Martin shoots and puts Santos on the cage with a body lock. Santos breaks it and counters with his own body lock but Martin hits an inside trip. Santos is back up quickly and uses wrist control to keep Martin from the rear waist cinch.
A stalemate ensues with both fighters battling for clinch position. They’re separated by the ref with 1:15 on the clock. Martin lands a clubbing right hand cleanly and then clinches with no action before the bell sounds. 10-10.
R2: Martin glances with a right and Santos chops out his leg with a low kick counter. Martin lands an outside low kick to the thigh. Santos glances with a huge right hand that comes up a little short. Martin initiates a clinch and Santos reverses with a outside foot sweep. Martin with half butterfly guard but Santos teleports to full mount, then again to full back control. Santos snakes his arm under the chin and forces the tapout via mata leao.
- Leonardo Santos defeats Tony Martin by submission (rear-naked choke) R2 2:29
Shayna Baszler vs. Amanda Nunes
R1: Nunes cracks Baszler with an overhand right. Nunes plunges a front kick to the body and follows with a two-piece combo that wobbles Baszler, who shoots a desperation takedown. No dice on the single leg and Nunes chops away with a nasty low kick, and Baszler winces and drops in agony. Mario Yamasaki has to exert some extra effort in pulling Nunes off, and scolds her after the stoppage for the unnecessary strikes.
- Amanda Nunes defeats Shayna Baszler by TKO (leg kick/punches) R1 1:56
Gilbert Burns vs. Alex Oliveira
R1: Burns lands an inside low kick and blocks Oliveira’s counter punch. Burns doubles up on left high kicks and Oliveira nearly catches the second one. They clinch up and Burns hits a clever inside trip. Oliveira closes his guard and eats a few forearms from Burns. Oliveira gets back to his feet and puts Burns on the fence. Burns lands a short up-knee to the face in the clinch and they separate shortly after.
Oliveira lands an uppercut and Burns digs in with a low kick. Oliveira brilliantly sidesteps a right cross and plugs Burns with a strong counter. Oliveira glances with a long one-two. Hook/cross combo from Oliveira, then a pair of heavy right hands that backs Burns up. Oliveira using the uppercut to keep Burns at bay and dissuade him from any takedown attempts. Short counter lands for Burns. Oliveira lands another glancing one-two. 10-9 Oliveira for landing the cleaner, more meaningful strikes.
R2: Burns comes out firing aggressively but Oliveira slows him down by slinging a one-two down the middle. Burns initiates a clinch and puts Oliveira on the fence. They stalemate and the crowd lets them hear it. Burns lands a few short uppercuts but Oliveira circles off the fence and pelts Burns with more long, snapping combos. Jab/uppercut medley from Oliveira, then a stiff jab as Burns is coming in.
Oliveira grazes with a one-two but plugs Burns with a hard shot. Oliveira pivots left with a hook and follows with the uppercut, and he catches Burns with it twice. Now it’s Oliveira who puts Burns on the fence, landing short knees and a shoulder strike. 10-9 Oliveira.
R3: Burns hits an early takedown from the body lock and passes to mount immediately. Burns battles to maintain full mount but he can’t mount much effective offense for the first minute-plus. Burns boldly spins into an omoplata and uses it to sweep Oliveira. Burns is able to sit up with Oliveira still trapped in the shoulder lock but Oliveira keeps squirming to alleviate the pressure, and finally breaks the hold. Burns keeps full mount and pursues a mounted triangle, then transitions to an armbar … and gets it. Amazing comeback and excellent chain grappling from Burns.
- Gilbert Burns defeats Alex Oliveira by submission (armbar) R3 4:13
Andre Fili vs. Godofredo Pepey
R1: Pepey leads with a flying knee and a wild overhand right. Sharp inside low kick lands for Pepey, who then ducks a punch and snatches a single leg. Fili defends and circles Pepey onto the fence. Pepey goes balls-out and pulls a flying armbar, then switches to a triangle when he hits the floor. He locks the triangle and picks Fili’s ankle to take him off his feet, then switches angles to tighten the hold. Fili bravely stays alive with patience and technique, and seems to have stabilized himself despite the choke being locked. Pepey changes angles again and this time coaxes the tapout.
- Godofredo Pepey defeats Andre Fili by submission (triangle choke) R1 3:14
Fox Prelims Results
Akbarh Arreola vs. Francisco Trinaldo
R1: Trinaldo counters a Arreola kick with a clinch attack and he keeps him on the cage with an under-hook. Trinaldo lands a knee to the body and Arreola answers in kind. Foot stomp by Trinaldo, who then hoists Arreola for a power double leg. Closed guard for Arreola, then a nice inside elbow from guard. Trinaldo drums left hands off Arreola’s ribs. Arreola deflects a Trinaldo elbow and swivels for an armbar that Trinaldo defends. Arreola lands a few short cross-face elbows and it might’ve caused cut.
Trinaldo maintains his base and sprinkles in some ground and pound, then postures up to level down a trifecta of lefts. Now Trinaldo lands a few cross-face elbows as Arreola is curiously content to hang out in closed guard. Arreola tries to buck Trinaldo off to no avail. 10-9 Trinaldo.
R2: Arreola opens with a pair of low kicks, then tries to go high with one. Wild one-two by Trinaldo whiffs but his right counter grazes on the next exchange. Arreola lands an outside low kick but Trinaldo catches his follow-up body kick and takes him down. More short elbows from Arreola, back in the closed guard. Arreola again willing to go punch for punch in closed guard, which is still not panning out well.
Trinaldo continues to grind him down with a good base and strategic ground and pound. Random whistles and howls begin to echo throughout the arena on account of the tedious and uneventful pace. Big John McCarthy stands them up with 30 seconds left — Trinaldo glances with a big left hand and Arreola lands one kick, then gets taken down again when Trinaldo catches his next attempt. 10-9 Trinaldo.
R3: Arreola gets away with a few low kicks but can’t find the high kick. Clubbing uppercut from Trinaldo grazes. Arreola lands an outside low kick. Now an uppercut and right hook for Trinaldo. Arreola flings a variety of kicks — a spinning kick, a roundhouse and a front kick — and the crowd gets on him when they all miss.
Trinaldo drills Arreola with an overhand left but he takes it in stride. Double jab from Trinaldo, then a knee to the face from the double necktie. Trinaldo plasters him with another left but Arreola is somehow unaffected. Trinaldo shoots and hits a double at the one-minute mark. Arreola again undertakes the futile endeavor of throwing elbows from the bottom in closed guard. 10-9 Trinaldo. I have it 30-27 his way.
- Francisco Trinaldo defeats Akbarrh Arreola by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Katsunori Kikuno vs. Kevin Souza
R1: Kikuno’s typically unorthodox stance is a bit more traditional. The first relevant offense comes a minute in, a two-punch flurry from Souza that Kikuno blocks. Souza leads with stiff straight right to the body. Souza rifles a scorching right hand down the middle and it lands perfectly — Kikuno topples over.
- Kevin Souza defeats Katsunori Kikuno by KO (punch) R1 1:31
Drew Dober vs. Leandro Silva
R1: Silva comes out in a wide, low southpaw stance. Dober probes with a kick from outside as Silva waits with his hands cocked. Silva steps back and then knifes in with a crisp right that lands, then he goes after a double leg. Dober’s under-hook keeps him upright and they separate. Dober pesters with a jab to keep Silva on defense, then catches a front kick but can’t convert. Dober pieces together a prolonged flurry of lefts and rights and Silva mimics Anderson Silva by leaning back against the cage and bobbing and weaving his way around Dober’s outburst.
A lack of set up prevents Silva from securing his next takedown attempt. Dober initiates a clinch and keeps Silva on the fence with knees to the body and short-range punches. Silva again tries to use head movement to dodge Dober’s flurry but a few shots glance. Silva’s piston-like jab snaps Dober’s head back. 10-10.
R2: They both land roundhouse kicks to the body. Silva, back to orthodox stance, loosens a front-leg side kick to the body. Dober counters Silva’s jab nicely with an overhand left but he’s taken down by a Silva double leg. Dober battles back to his feet but Silva switches to the body lock to re-ground him. Silva is high in Dober’s closed half guard, looking to slide his leg free and mount. He passes but only side mount and Dober gives up his back, then extends his head too far forward while escaping, and Silva drops back for a guillotine.
In a shocking moment of incompetence, the ref — the same who embarrassingly late on a previous submission stoppage — inexplicably intervenes and waves the fight off even though Dober never tapped nor appeared to be in any real danger. Literally one of the worst referee blunders in UFC history.
- Leandro Silva defeats Drew Dober by submission (guillotine/ref incompetence) R2 2:45
Cain Carrizosa vs. Leonardo Mafra
R1: They trade jabs from outside. Carrizosa unbolts a two-punch combo and closes with a kick that Mafra blocks. Carrizosa times a right-hand counter that drops Mafra, and he nearly moves into back control while pouncing but Mafra peels him off and stands back up. Mafra clinches momentarily and lands a nice knee to the body, then catches Carrizosa’s front kick and flurries. Carrizosa counters with a shot and Mafra backs him off with a blistering flurry.
Mafra takes control of the tempo by wading forward behind heavy and well-placed punches. Mafra scores with a combo and Carrizosa counters with a short right. Mafra lands a low kick and Carrizosa and forms a solid counter combo. Mafra takes Carrizosa down but can’t keep him there. Both fighters dig in and peel off effective combos in the closing minutes. Mafra rips two elbows through Carrizosa’s defense. Hard outside low kick from Mafra, who closes the round with a demonstrative combo. 10-9 Mafra in a comeback round.
R2: Mafra closes his combo with a strong low kick, then scores with a stiff right hand. Mafra’s tight three-punch combo pelts off Carrizosa’s guard, and Carrizosa initiates a defensive clinch. He regains his wits and disconnects through Mafra gets right back in his face with more leather. Mafra pouring it on now with more punches, then a flying knee. Thick, beefy punches from Mafra are keeping Carrizosa on the cage and playing defense.
Mafra drops levels and hoists Carrizosa for a powerful takedown, falling in side mount. Mafra spins into north-south while isolating an arm; Carrizosa frees his arm and spins to face Mafra in a slick escape. Carrizosa stands back up but he’s immediately greeted by a low kick and another takedown. Carrizosa closes his half guard and fights for posture control as Mafra peppers him with short punches. 10-8 Mafra.
R3: Mafra lands a jab and Carrizosa responds with a kick. Carrizosa showing a greater level of urgency with more output on the feet, landing a short right. Mafra ducks the next combo and easily scoops up a single leg but Carrizosa cleverly threatens with a leg lock. Mafra isn’t having it and falls into full mount after clearing the danger. Carrizosa rolls out nicely but Mafra stays on him with short right hands, then regains his perch in half guard.
Short rights to the head from Mafra, then a back-hand right. Mafra passes to full mount and starts working on the paintbrush. Carrizosa frees his entangled arm and escapes only to be taken right back down by Mafra, who lands in side mount, then passes to north-south and into full mount. Mafra goes body/body/head with right punches and elbows. Carrizosa backs him off with an up-kick but Mafra gets side mount as Carrizosa works an escape. 10-8 Mafra. I have it 30-25 his way.
- Leonardo Mafra defeats Cain Carrizosa by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 30-26)
Fight Pass Prelims Results
Jorge “Blade” de Oliveira vs. Christos Giagos
R1: Giagos establishes his range early by swinging a big right. De Oliveira loosens one combo and Giagos ducks under the next one and puts him down with a double. Open half guard for de Oliveira with Giagos basing down well and sneaking in a few short punches. Giagos knifes into full mount and unloads a wild flurry and de Oliveira manages to angle for a leg lock during his mount escape. Giagos calmly gets his leg free and regains the full mount.
Giagos forms a strong base with his hips and keeps de Oliveira in place this time, then starts to chip in some frenetic ground and pound. Giagos gets in neck crank position, then takes back mount and falls back for the rear-naked choke with both hooks in. De Oliveira taps in one flurry, then emphatically keeps tapping before the referee, curiously, is finally inclined to rescue him.
- Christos Giagos defeats Jorge de Oliveira by submission (rear-naked choke) R1 3:12
Fredy Serrano vs. Bentley Syler
R1: Syler using busy side-to-side motion whilst flinging jabs but he gets plastered with a right cross 20 seconds in, and goes down momentarily. He’s a tad hesitant to engage now and Serrano starts to let loose with one-twos and kicks from outside. Straight one-two down the pipe lands for Serrano. Then a glancing right. Serrano beautifully fakes a level change and glances with an uppercut, then just misses with a well-balanced spinning kick.
Syler answers with the same spinning kick and it lands lightly to the body. Syler pressures more effectively with his combos but he’s yet to connect flush. Serrano wings a one-two and closes with a left high kick, then changes levels for a takedown but Syler deflects it all coolly. Syler clips Serrano with a clean left hook; his best shot of the fight. Serrano glances to the back of the head with a clubbing overhand right, then connects with a short right after whiffing on another spinning kick. Serrano gets deep on the hips and drives through on a nice power double-leg to close the round. 10-9 Serrano.
R2: Syler lands a low kick. Serrano responds with an uppercut. Methodical bursts of tight combinations from Serrano to keep Syler at bay. Syler struggling to get into range and barely throwing as Serrano peppers from the fringe, though he’s not landing much either. The crowd murmurs their discontent at the halfway mark.
No dice on Serrano’s one-two to high kick this time. Serrano telegraphs a spinning kick that Syler nearly catches. Syler lands a light low kick. Serrano shoots wildly and Syler shoves him away easily. Syler steps into a stiff jab that lands clean. Syler visibly having trouble with his left eye. Short counter right lands for Syler. 10-10.
R3: Serrano hits an early double leg and Syler battles back to his feet quickly though his eye is gushing blood after the scramble. Serrano scores with a short shot as they separate. The ref intervenes to have the doctor check Syler’s eye but we’re quickly back to action. Serrano plugs Syler with a right on the restart. Syler wades forward with a three-punch combo and Serrano steps back and shovels an uppercut into Syler’s jaw, and he’s down and out.
- Fredy Serrano defeats Bentley Syler by KO (uppercut) R3 1:34
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